Potato-digger



(No Model.) L. ME'LLETT.

POTATO BIGGER. No. 357,618. Y Patented Feb. 15, 1887.

N. PETERS. Phntn-ljflwgriphol'. Wa hinginll. D- C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEMUEL MELLETT, .OF MILFORD, ASSIGNOB TO HIMSELF, AND CHARLES ALBERT SHAW, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

POTATO-BIGGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 3 5 7,618, dated February 15, 1887.

Application filed May 3, 1886. Serial No. 200,966. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEMUEL MELLETT, of Milford, in the county of \Vorcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Potato-Diggers, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference'being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is-a side elevation of myimproved potato-digger, the lower portion of the wheels being represented as broken away; Fig. 2, a top plan View of the same, and Fig. 3 a rear end elevation with the handles removed. Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

My invention relates to that class of potato diggers which are designed to be operated by horse-power,- andit consists in the novel con struction and arrangement of parts,as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed, the object being to produce a simpler, cheaper, and more effective device of this kind than is now in ordinary use.

' The nature'and operation of the improvement will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation.

In the drawings, A representsthe frame work or body; B, the beam; 0, the axle, and D D the wheels. The body is rectangular in form, and is mounted on the axle by means of suitable boxes or bearings. (N otshown.) The beam, which is framed into the body, extends longitudinally thereof through its center, and projects from its forward end, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

Projecting downwardly from the forward end of the bodyA at either side thereof there is an arm, m, (one only being shown,) and journaled horizontally in the lower ends of said arms there is a shaft, Z, provided at one of its ends with a sprocket-wheel, E. Two correspondingarms, x as, also project downwardly from the rear end of said body, and journaled in said last-named arms there is a shaft, H,

provided at one end with a sprocket-wheel, .T, and at the other with a miter-gear, K, the sprocket-wheels E J being connected by the chain belt L.

Journaled horizontally in brackets b b at one side of the body A there is a shaft, M, provided with miter-gearsfr, the gearr intermeshing with the miter-gear K on the shaft H, and the gear f with a large mitergear, N, on the axle G.

The wheels D are mounted loosely, or so as to turn on the axle when the digger is moved backward, but are prevented from moving thereon by ordinary ratchet wheels and pawls z t when the digger is moved forward.

Projecting downwardly from the rear end of the body A there are two elastic metallic bars, 02 Z, the bar (2 being provided at its lower end with a horizontally-projecting arm, 1 and journaled in the lower ends of said bars there is a shaft, P. A series of chain belts, c 'U 0, connect the shafts P Z, said belts being provided with a series of spurs, a, adapted to engage the potatoes, but so constructed and arranged as not to penetrate them as they are deposited on the belts o, and cause them to be carried to the rear of the machine when the belts are operated.

Mounted on the rear end of the shaft M there is an evolute gear or escapement-wheel, R, adapted to engage the arm 3/ of the bar d as said gear revolves.

The beam B is provided near its forward end with a FI-shaped colter-bar, S, and secured to the lower ends of the arms 25 of said bar there isa horizontallyarranged shoe or point, T. This point is curved upwardly in cross-section and extends to the rear of the colter-bar S, as shown at h, to form a rest for the forward end of the digger and also prevent the point from entering the ground too far.

A11 inclined chute, W, which is also upwardly curved in cross-section, has its lower end disposed in the shoe T, as shown by the dotted lines w, its upper end being supported by the projecting ends 0 of horizontal tie-bars j, attached to the arms m.- w on the said chute being adapted to conduct toes and earth to the belts o.

Each of the downwardly-projecting arms t body A, the pota- IOO of the bar S acts as a colter to out or divide the earth at the sides of the row of potatoes, the earth at the outer sides of said colters being turned to the right and left by ordinary right and left hand wings or mold-boards, k k.

Disposed radially around the shaft H, between the belts v, and properly secured to said shaft, there are forwardly-curved arms 11., adapted to catch and lift the clods of earth and break or pulverize them, so that they will fall downwardly through the spaces between the belts 'v, thereby preventing them from being carried through the machine and deposited with the potatoes, said belts being near enough to each other to prevent the potatoes from falling through between them.

Projecting centrally from the rear of the body A there is a downwardly-curved bar, F, having an inwardly-projecting arm, I, at its lower end, on which a tilting screen, 0, is centrally pivoted. This screen consists of two side pieces, I Z, and a series of slats, p, which form the bottom thereof, the slats and side pieces being framed together by cross-bars q. The slats may, however, be omitted and the bottom made in one piece or tight, if preferred.

Secured in the inner end of the arm I there is a vertically-adjustable bifurcated bar, 8, havingaroller, K", journaled at its lower end, for governing the depth of the furrow made by the shoe T.

In digging or unearthing the potatoes the rows or drills are taken in regular succession, commencing at one side of the field, the help of pickers not being required to remove the potatoes from the path of the horses or machine, as required when some other diggers are used, and no time being lost in traveling over unplanted ground or across headlands, the screen 0 receiving and depositing the potatocs thoroughly cleansed in a row ready for the pickers, and to the left or right of the path of the horses, in accordance with the direction in which they are crossing the field.

The working parts of the machine are so constructed and regulated or timed that the chain belts a travel faster than the shoe T and the arms a faster than said belts, thus separating the potatoes from the earth as they pass over the belts so thoroughly that when they reach thescrcen 0 they are nearly or quite cleansed.

The shoe T may be made vertically adj ustable, and may also be secured to the colters or colter-bar in such a manner that its point may be raised or lowered, if desired.

In the ratchet mechanisms '6 the ratchetwheels are rigidly secured to the axle O and the pawls pivoted to the wheels D, in the usual manner. A long flat elastic bar or spring, N is attached at its ends to the rear side piece, Z, of the screen 0, said spring being disposed on the outer side of the vertical portion of the bar F, as best seen in Fig. 3. The spring N is provided with a curved projection, u,which, when the screen 0 is arranged horizontally, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,presses directly against the outer side of the bar F; but when it is tilted or tipped to the right or left, as shown in Fig. 3, the curved portion passes down to the right or left side of said bar, as the case ,may be, thereby keeping the screen in position.

In Fig. 3 the screen is represented as tipped to the right and locked in that position by the projection 10, which is at the right-hand side of the bar F; but if, now, the screen should be tipped to the left with sufficient force to overcome the spring N the projection a would pass over the bar F to its left-hand side and act to lock the screen in that position in substantially the same manner as when it is tipped to the right. Any othersuitablemeans may,however, be employed to keep the screen in position when tipped either to the right or left, as the case may be.

In the use of my improvement the digger is drawn forward immediately over the row of potatoes, the shoe T passing beneath the potatoes and depositing them, and also the earth by which they are covered, in the chute W, from which they pass onto the belts *0, where they are caught by the spurs a and carried, as said belts traverse, to the rear of the machine, where they are dumped onto the screen 0 and discharged to the right or left of the furrow, as desired, or in accordance with the direction in which the screen is inclined or tipped. As the potatoes, earth, 850. pass along the belts v, the wheel R is revolved in contact with the arm 3 of the elastic bar d, thereby causing the bars d i shaft 1?, and rear ends of the belts v to be moved back and forth laterally of the machine with regular reciprocating vibratory movements, these partsconstituting a shaker for assisting to separate the earth from the potatoes as they pass along the belts, the separating or cleansing process being completed as they fall upon the screen 0.

Suitable handles, G, are attached to the body A, for guiding the machine.

The bars d Z are sufficiently elastic to yield under the action of the wheel R, but also sufficiently resilient to rapidly assume their normal position as the teeth of said wheel, escape the arm y.

Having thus explained my invention, what I claim is 1. In a potato-digger,the screen 0, disposed at the rear of the body A and adapted to be tilted to discharge the potatoes to the right or left of the machine, substantially as described.

2. In a potato-digger, the screen O,pivoted to a suitable support at the rear of the body A and adapted to be tilted to the right or left, in combination with the chain belts c, shafts H Z, and mechanism for actuating said belts, substantially as set forth.

3. In a potato-digger, the combination of the shaft P, elastic bars d P, shaft Z, chain belts 'v, evolute gear It, and mechanism for actuating said belts and gear, substantially as set forth.

4-. In apotato-digger, the colter-bar S, pro vided with the coltcrs it, in combination with the shoe T,m01d-boards or wingsk k, chute W, '0 o, the wheels D and. axle 0 being coupled beam B, chains 0 v, and operative mechanism by ratchet mechanism, substantially as set for said chains, substantially as set forth. forth.

5. In a potato-digger, the adjustable roller 7. In a potato-digger, the spring N pro- I5 5 K, in combination with the arm F, body A, vided with the bend. a, in combination with beam B, shoe '1, and a colter or colters, subthe bar F and screen 0, substantially as destantially as described. 7 scribed.

6. In a potato-digger, the axle 0, provided LEMUEL MELLETT. with the main gear N, in combination with Witnesses: IO the wheels D D, shaft M, gears a" f R, shafts O. M. SHAW,

' P B Z, sprocket-wheels E J,belt L, and chains E. L. SAWYER. 

